Last Mile Distribution Forum and GDC Member Learning and Collaboration Event 2026
April 2026 saw the first ever in-person GDC Last Mile Distribution (LMD) Forum, as well as the annual GDC Member Learning and Collaboration Event, take place in Nairobi, Kenya. With 48 participating GDC members and 42 funders, investors, technical assistance providers, and other practitioners in attendance, we had a vibrant, productive, and energising three days digging into all things last mile distribution: from an investor panel and live company pitches, to first-hand insights from GDC members testing practices such as e-commerce and product repair services, and interactive business performance bootcamps.
Day 1: Last Mile Distribution (LMD) Forum – Spotlighting the resilience and impact of last mile distributors
“The day was great, and there was a fantastic buzz in the room with connections being made and experiences being shared!” (Roshni Patel, BII)
One of the GDC’s key priorities since its inception has been to profile and amplify last mile distributors’ vital role in getting beneficial products to the hardest-to-reach communities; showcasing their resilience in the face of challenging logistical, economic, and environmental circumstances, and working closely with partners across the ecosystem to co-build and deliver programmes and services that help distributors to ramp up their impact at the last mile and access the finance they need to scale. The LMD Forum was an opportunity to both celebrate GDC members’ achievements and dig into what more is needed to create a thriving last mile distribution sector – with 48 GDC member attendees and representatives from partners such as FCDO, SIDA, EEP Africa, CCA Kenya, and KEREA coming together to connect, listen, and learn from one another.
GDC members featured: Green at Mind (GAM), Natfort Energy, Solar Move Africa, Sosai Renewable Energies Company, SPOUTS International, Village Solar, and WidEnergy Africa.
Group photo: Participants of the GDC Last Mile Distribution Forum 2026
‘Pitching for success’ investor panel with (L-R) Caroline Nijland (GET.invest), Jess Rono (Persistent), Natalia Batista (GGF) and Roshni Patel (BII)
Energy Access Networking Reception – Catalysing new partnerships and nurturing existing ones
“There was a great turn out… Great to see the networks coming together in one space!” (Rebecca Rhodes, GOGLA)
Co-hosted by GDC, GOGLA, Efficiency for Access, EEP Africa and PREO (as part of the CROWD Working Group) and supported by the UK government via the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform, GET.invest and the IKEA Foundation, this event brought together almost 200 stakeholders from across the energy access sector: from off-grid solar companies to last mile distributors, from investors and funders to product manufacturers. It was an opportunity to network with likeminded partners as well as to forge new connections.
Ellie Grebenik (EST), sharing welcoming remarks at the Energy Access Networking Reception
Days 2 and 3: GDC Member Learning and Collaboration Event – Digging into LMD business fundamentals
100% of GDC member survey respondents said they would recommend GDC events to another last mile distributor.
At the heart of everything we do at the GDC is a bespoke programme of capacity building designed specifically for distributors and often co-delivered with trusted partners and sector experts. From our Innovation Launchpad to our Investment Catalyst Facility, we listen to members’ needs and strive to offer activities that meet their priorities head on. Days 2 and 3 of the event were therefore all about exploring concrete business strategies; from leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to improve customer engagement and sales, to business performance bootcamps exploring aspects of the GDC Benchmarking Tool; from deep-diving into arguably two of the most important access to finance topics with MAF Lab and Catalyst Energy Advisors – end-user financing and unit economics – to site visits to see Jumia and GDC member Ecobora in action. A day of peer learning and support, hearing insights directly from best-in-practice GDC members, and honest self-reflection to identify business strengths and areas for improvement.
GDC members featured: Ecolibrium, Live Well, Namuleri, Simusolar.
GDC event attendees being shown around the Ecobora factory in Kajiado county. Ecobora manufactures and distributes improved cookstoves to remote, low-income customers.
If you would like to partner with the GDC on future events or activities, or if you would like access to the full event photo library, get in touch via GDC@practicalaction.org.uk
